Some of the winners of the 2023 Top 100 SMEs survey at a gala dinner in a group photo with officials from dfcu bank and partners
dfcu Bank, in collaboration with Monitor Publications, Uganda Investment Authority, Uganda Securities Exchange, the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities and other partner organizations, unveiled the winners of the 2023 Top 100 SMEs survey at a gala dinner held last Friday 1st December. The event, which was held at Hotel Africana, marked the culmination of a three-month survey aimed at identifying and profiling Uganda’s fastest-growing medium-sized companies.
Running for the last 15 years, the purpose of the Top 100 Survey is to identify Uganda’s fastest growing medium-sized companies in order to showcase business excellence and highlight some of the country’s most successful entrepreneurship stories.
Companies which participate in this annual competition benefit from business process improvement that eventually helps them to gain access to new sources of financing, enhance their business management skills, and acquire new partners they need to move to the next level.
The theme for this year’s Top 100 SMEs campaign was “Inclusive Access to Business Information Services, Technologies, and Financing for SMEs,” emphasized the importance of equitable provision and distribution of resources for the growth and sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Uganda.
In his remarks, Charles Mudiwa, the CEO at dfcu Bank, spoke about the transformative power of clear vision and perseverance in business. Attributing the growth and success of dfcu Bank’s over the years to a clear vision and focus, Mudiwa also noted the importance of hard work and resilience in achieving longstanding success.
Mudiwa affirmed dfcu Bank’s commitment to supporting SMEs in Uganda. “Our role as dfcu is to support your business aspirations and help you fulfill your dreams which we do through programs such as this one. We also directly support women-led businesses through our Women in Business Program,” he noted.
“Currently, our Bank serves 130,000 SMEs across Uganda. Our support includes credit facilities, financing, business advisory services, profiling, publicity as well as creating avenues and spaces for constructive networking opportunities.
I call upon the companies present today to remember that Business Excellence is built by building on existing strengths, expanding capabilities, and increasing your company’s reach and presence. Through this initiative, I am hopeful that each company has created a clear roadmap for future successes,” he said.
The Guest of Honor at the event, The Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Honorable David Bahati congratulated the Top 100 SMEs that participated in the survey, recognizing the role of SMEs and their contribution to the growth of Ugandan economy including direct creation of 70% of the jobs in the country.
Hon. Bahati encouraged the SME owners to make use of the programs which the government has put in place, inclusive of which is access to affordable capital.
Sun Power Sustainable Energy Limited emerged as the winner of the 2023 Top 100 SMEs Survey. The company which was started in 2018 is fully Ugandan owned and headed by Mr. Jonathan Bukenya. Awico Engineering Company Limited emerged first runner up while Palm Construction Company Limited took the third place.
